S 011 AND. The Perth election, to supply tile vacancy
occa,:ioned by the resigna- tion of the I lonourable Arthur Kiunaird, was on Saturday : when Mr. Oliphant, to whose return no serious opposition was expected, was defeated by Mr. Greig, Lord Provost of the city. Placard: appeared. on Saturday morning, stating that the Lord Provost would be put in nomination ; and this was the first public intimation of the :lesjeal. Mr. Oliphant retired from the contest. assigning as ct reason his relhctance to divide the Liberal party,—fire Mr. rig is a Liberal, though with a tendency, it is said, to Conservatism. Ile was on his way from Perth to Liverpool at the time of his election, and was chosen without his on knowledge or consent.
The Perth Chronicle says, that the conduct of the Government party in this affair had been most disgraceful ; and that " the whole matter was designed as a t rick to keep open the city of Perth for the Honour- able Fox Maule "- " All that was wanting wets, that Laurence Oliphant, Esq. should slip into the rarnilg created by the resignation of Mr. Iiinnaird, until Mr. Manle should be prepared to take IS place. Mr. oliphant has got a lesson by whirl' we trust
lie will profit. Willi all respect for hint as a private amilleinan. the person whin Could degrade himself by consenting to become the tool of any party, was entitled to no other treatment than that which he received. But shame
upon tho:e who have been the primary !nise of here is :he Government of Great Britain—or one of their minions, by and with their consent—belying their principles, acting a part calculated to bring the business of electioneenog into contempt, endeavouring to COIIVert a reS1Wetable city electors will, by-and-by, we have no doubt, show themselves to be men) into it rotten ho- rough for the stowage of :t castaway politician, who knows not where to get in his head, hat with whose vote the Ministry' cannot wall di, efimse. These are the men who talk eloquently of the freedom of eketion ! Ijow can they dare to take the words into their mouths?"
Of the new Member the same paper speaks thus- " A more amiable, gentlemanly man, does not, we believe, exist. He is, Withal tone of ourselves;' and. in the eloquent language of 1; !in., .lidoz.r who seconded the nomination, 'Iiis amenity of manners, and imeressibility at alt times,' rendered him doubtless a it and proper person to represent the city of Perth. One trilling matter alone happens to he lacking to render his return an occasion for the most joyous eonaratubdioo—the citizens knor nothing of his pc; ovipha. lit himself was absent on private loishe.sis, and not, of mnirso, explain them. The electors were necessarily left in the dark. Indi- viduals might know, or presome to know, that his opmions were of such a kind, on this and the other subject. But could they not, then, have cone manfully forward, and given a sort of guarantee a little inure binding Ilnin the simple assertion that Provost (Ind_- has, for such a si ries of 110.11 a Li- hero!, and will doubt 10,4 give great sat kfitet ion by his votes to the constituency' ? Is this the styla in which rational men would choose to conduct private bu- siness ?"
Previous page
